


One Last Bullet In The Chamber

by rosesscythes



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X, Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, heavily inspired by transformers: requiem of the wreckers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-06 02:39:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16379855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesscythes/pseuds/rosesscythes
Summary: Axl knows he's old when the Guardians graduate from training with him. But little does he suspect that a mission that only he and X could handle would turn out so wrong.





	1. Four On One, Should Have Sent More

“Alright, guys,” Axl strolled into the training room in Neo Arcadia’s central tower, spinning a pistol in one of his hands.

The Guardians greeted him with muted interest as they looked up from their own conversation. Phantom was leaning against the wall, arms and legs crossed. Inversely, Leviathan leaned forwards, arms crossed over the end of her spear, its point dug into the ground. Harpuia stood as properly straight as ever, greeting Axl with a nod. Finally, Fefnir stood from his place sitting cross-legged on the ground, eyes and teeth gleaming. “What up, Teach?” the last of them spoke. “You said you had a special reason for bringing us all this time.”

Axl paced between them and the door he had entered. “Indeed,” he replied. “For the past few years, I’ve mainly been training you separately. Making sure your combat skills were up to par as individuals. Over time, I began allowing you to fight together. Two at first, then three.” He looked up. “Time for your final lesson. All four of you, versus one of me.”

“You’re serious?” Leviathan asked. “We’ve been gaining the advantage over time, old man. You can’t beat all of us.”

Axl’s only response was to shoot at her. In a flash, she blocked the shot with her spear and stood at the ready, as did her three siblings. “Yeah, I am,” he responded. “Dead serious, for once in my life.”

From there, there were no more words. Harpuia took to the air, waiting for his moment to strike. Phantom hurled kunai, as Fefnir and Leviathan circled Axl. In response, Axl kept one gun firing, deflecting each kunai off course with a bullet. He kept his other gun at the ready, waiting for which of the other siblings would strike first.

Predictably, it was Fefnir who charged in first, firing one of his guns while swinging at Axl with a fierce punch. Axl easily jumped up, activating his hover jets as he focused both guns back down on Fefnir, raking him with bullet fire.

Being in the air, of course, brought him into Harpuia’s domain. The emerald-armored Guardian flew out him, one sword out in a piercing maneuver while the other was kept pointing out to the sword, meant to slash Axl if he dodged. Unfazed, the Guardians’ teacher dropped back down to Earth, keeping his pistols pointed at Fafnir, focused on one target at a time.

Just as Harpuia swooped back down at Axl, he touched the ground and jumped back up, passing over the flier with his hover recharged. For their part, Fefnir and Leviathan responded with bullets and icicles, aiming for but never quite hitting the other Reploid, who still only focused attention on Fefnir.

Realizing for a second that he only had three attackers, Axl swung around midflight, only for Phantom to narrowly miss his target and instead simply graze his arm. He’d launched himself from high up on the wall on top of his large shuriken, intending to tackle Axl out of the air. For his troubles, he was shot at close-range by Axl with a single, larger bullet, rather than the normal pellets he’d been firing at Fefnir. 

Axl’s form shifted afterwards, imitating Phantom’s own. He hurled kunai instead of bullets now, directed at Leviathan instead. He fell to the earth, rolling and throwing, as she and Fefnir leapt at him once more, fists and staff swinging. Using the advantage of Phantom’s speed and agility, Axl nimbly dodged and redirected their weapons at each other, causing Leviathan’s spear to meet Fefnir’s fists, much to the latter’s pain. He shifted back to his normal form, firing the same shot he’d fired at Phantom, but now at Fefnir instead, imitating his body.

He charged at the red warrior, and the matching fists caused a shockwave that resonated throughout the room, blowing Leviathan, Harpuia, and Phantom back on their feet as they tried to approach Axl. The teacher and the student trained fist for fist, punching away. Phantom snuck up behind Axl in an attempt to stab him in the back, but he ducked and turned suddenly, knocking Phantom’s feet out from under him as he in turn met the actual Fefnir’s fists.

Harpuia dropped to the floor and sent a slashing wave at Axl, which the older Reploid lept over and shifted back in order to copy Harpuia. The green warrior, however, saw this coming, and dodged the shot, jumping over it in turn and bringing a downward slash at Axl, severely gouging his chest armor.

Falling back, Axl was met by a dragon made of ice, one Leviathan had summoned. It in turn caught him hard in the back, sending him sprawling. As the Guardians circled him, ready for him to strike again, another voice called out. 

“Enough!” X cried, walking into the room. The Guardians fell back and inclined their heads respectively to their master and creator. “You’ve all proven your worth.” He helped Axl to his feet, and the somewhat younger reploid smiled at him.

“Your kids did good, X,” Axl commented. “I coulda had them in their Phenomenon form if you gave me another five minutes, though.”

X rolled his eyes. “Really, Axl? Four on one? You may be good, but you’ve made them better by now.” 

Tired of being ignored already by their internal conversation, Harpuia spoke up. “Uh...Master X, Master Axl, what’s going on?”

Ignoring Axl’s grumble of “How many times do I have to tell you-”, X spoke up. “I believe my old friend simply wanted to prove something to himself before he released you.”

“Released us?” Phantom asked. His eyes spoke nothing, but X could tell what he was thinking. “Then..”

“Yeah, kid,” Axl said. “As of today, your training is complete.” He tried to take a step forward to extend a hand to the four, but he lurched and X caught him. “You’ve got no use for a teacher anymore.”

X nodded. “Now please excuse us, I have business with Axl.”

Though they looked hesitant, each Guardian thanked the two and left their company. Hoisting himself off of X, Axl sat down onto the floor, taking a cross-legged position. X followed suit. “Are you alright, Axl?” he spoke quietly as he sat down.

It took the latter a second to respond. “Just...feeling my age, I guess.” He looked at X, subdued, his youthful face looking older, despite the impossibility of it. “Wasn’t that long ago that I was the top of the line.” He clicked his pistols back into place on his hips.

X chuckled softly. “That was a century ago, Axl. But believe me, I know the feeling.” He looked distant for a second. “I was watching, you know. They really had you on the ropes when I cut in.”

Axl shook his head. “They’re about as strong each as I was when I joined the Hunters by now. From this point on, it’s up to them individually to get as good as you or Zero, you know.” He smiled, a sad smile, a proud smile. “I know I never could.”

X nodded, understanding. He’d had that argument with Axl before, better to drop it now. “I pray they never will have to.”

Axl got to his feet, stretching himself out. “Anyways, I know the leader of the civilized world wouldn’t have time for an old pal if it wasn’t something important. Whaddya need, bud?”

The chastizing made X wince. Was he really so prone to ignoring his friends now? Still, he stood as well. “We’ve discovered something in the wasteland.” Before Axl’s eyes could even widen, he replied, “No, it’s not him. Or Weil, for that matter. But it’s something with potential ties to Weil, and it’s too heavily guarded for me to send even one of the Guardians after it. No, get yourself repaired. You and I are going after it ourselves.” He turned to walk through the door.

“Just like old times,” Axl cracked as he followed X out, hitting the lightswitch on the way.


	2. Dweller In The Depths

After getting his repairs done, Axl took his time walking through the Citadel towards the Trans Server room. He walked, and mused on his own age.

He, unlike more and more Reploids nowadays, had always kept his original experience, looking like a teenager. But as he walked past a well-shined window, and it mirrored his reflection back to him, he could notice how old he was getting. His eyes carried a heaviness, all too similar to what X looked like now, and he didn’t have the sleek, lithe designs of most post-War Reploids.

Axl simply wasn’t a kid any more.

He walked finally into the Server room, and was greeted by X and another familiar face. “Uncle Axl!” Ciel cried as she noticed him and ran at him, and he eagerly scooped her into his arms and twirled her around, much to her giggling delight. X’s adopted daughter was simply adorable.

“Heya, kid!” Axl laughed as he held her. “Come to see us off?”

Ciel nodded. “Will you be gone long?” She’d lost her parents at a young age, so every time X, Axl, or her adopted siblings went anywhere, she always had to question how long they’d be gone.

“Gee, I dunno,” Axl glanced to X as he let Ciel down.

X shook his head. “Normally, the two of us could complete any average Neo Arcadian mission within an hour, tops. But this is...something else.”

Axl rolled his eyes at his friend’s dour mood. “Ah, don’t listen to him. We’ll be back in time for dinner, shortstuff.” He gave Ciel a pat on the head as she pouted at him, but she let him go join X. “In the meantime, you should probably get back to your studies for the day.”

Ciel shook her head. “I got it all done this morning. Everything for the next two months.”

Axl’s eyes widened, and he grinned at X. “You’ve got a little prodigy.”

X beamed right back at him. “Even our most advanced programs aren’t enough for her.” He pulled Ciel close to him, and gave her a gentle kiss on the head. “Alright then, you’re free to go play while we’re away.”

She smiled, said goodbye, and left the room as the duo stepped into the Trans Server. The operator counted down to their teleportation, and in a flash of light they were gone.

They landed in the wasteland left behind by the Elf Wars, near a dig site with caution signs thrown up. Within seconds of landing, X was already briefing Axl on the situation.

“We had a dig crew operating here recently, looking for any materials that could help us now,” he explained, gesturing to the hole of the dig site. “They encountered resistance underground from a stream of mechaniloids. We sent a squad of the Zan’ei in. They made it partway in before we lost all contact with them. Something like that has never happened before.”

“So, what are we waiting for?” Axl wasted no time, taking a running leap into the dig hole, using his wall grippers to stay attached to the edge as he slid down. X followed him, sliding down on the opposite side.

As they hit the bottom, they walked out into another chamber, and were stopped by the sight. It was an underground structure, that much was clear. Huge and bustling, it was in an obvious state of incompleteness. Entire towers and floors lay unfinished, but the wall surrounding the entire complex was fully complete. The main draw, however, was the incomplete frame of a familiar shape in front. A skull, perhaps.

Axl realized he’d been holding his breath the entire way down, and let go. “Woah,” he said. “Kinda reminds me of-”

X cut him off. “One of Sigma’s fortresses. That’s what I was thinking too. But we killed Sigma. This may have been an incomplete backup plan...but apparently it’s armed and active, even if it isn’t complete. That’s more than worrying.”

Axl nodded. “So, where do we get in?”

X pointed. “The eye of that front ornament is supposed to be a shutter inside. We can climb up and make our way in. The Zan’ei report suggested it follows the ring system of Sigma’s fortresses, at least. Let’s go.” He ran forward, and Axl followed.

The two made their way up the front of the wall, climbing carefully and avoiding any obvious cannon emplacements. They didn’t want to risk if they were active or not. Once they were on the walltops, however, things got more tricky.

The entire top of the wall was covered in enemy mechaniloids, from basic Metools to humanoid robots wielding shields and busters. Axl paused for a second as they all turned to face him and X. “So...same old, same old?”

“Looks like it,” X replied, dashing forward and firing, Axl in pursuit. They’d had years of practice fighting together like this, and it was a simple process. X would use a charged shot to break through enemy shields, while Axl would then follow up with a stream of bullets to finish them off. Larger opponents, like a few large, trash-compacting Mechaniloids, would receive a concerted firing effort, all the while the duo concerned themselves with not falling off the walltops to the sides.

As they moved forward, X grabbed Axl suddenly. “Watch out!” he yelled as he pulled Axl back. The floor the younger Reploid had been standing on gave way to a full-on electrified spike pit, one that would have killed him instantly had he remained there.

“Geez, whoever made this place wasn’t playing games,” Axl commented in shock. X nodded, dash jumping over the unstable floor, as Axl hovered across. The next one they came to was guarded at the end by another of those shielded robots, but Axl easily hovered across to take it out from behind, allowing X to cross as well.

They fought together across the wall, taking minimal damage. As they reached maintenance stairs that crossed over the wireframe skull, X killed a Metool, flipping it over with his charged shot. He paused for a second to examine it. “Axl, look at this,” he beckoned.

Axl strode over and observed, staring in the same spot as X. “Uh...it’s a dead Met.”

X shook his head and lifted the scrapped robot to eye level, pointing at the brim of its hat. “More than that.” The brim had a branding code, denoting it as a ‘Neo Metall’. “It’s a Metall, not a Mettaur. That’s ancient tech, Axl, before even me. Whoever we’re dealing with is a couple centuries off.”

Axl shuddered. “Creepy. But I mean…some stuff had to survive ‘til now, even through the Elf Wars.”

X nodded, walking towards the maintenance stairs. “True. But those shield-types are an old model too. Sniper Joes. For someone to have all this old tech...either they’re an ancient history buff, or this fortress is very old.”

“You keep saying ‘someone’, X,” Axl commented as he blew away a flying drone that approached them as they made their ascent. “You think this isn’t just some old, abandoned place?”

“The level of security we’ve encountered suggests not,” X replied as he, too, destroyed a drone. As they approached the ‘eye’ of the skull, they saw something that made them stop dead in their tracks, something innocuous under any other circumstances.

A metal security door, the kind that would open by sliding upwards.

The duo shared a glance. They’d encountered this kind of set up before, in fortresses past. If this one was fully active, there’d be some great security system behind it.

Without a word, they strode through, into a short hall with another such door at the end. X paused before it. “Axl...this may be a lot worse than we were thinking.”

Axl was quiet for a bit, before walking forward. “Something spooky’s going on here. If it’s as bad as we’re thinking, we’ve gotta make sure.”

The first thing they noticed in the room were the bodies. 12 Zan’ei warrior corpses, smashed and blood spilt against the walls of the chamber. X paused for a second in cold terror, and it took all of Axl’s experiences as a warrior to stop himself from gagging. Gathering himself, the younger bot said, “Well. We know where that squad went.” He readied his guns, walking towards the center of the room.

X stared in cold terror, buster raised as he took a place at Axl’s back, the two covering each other. “But what could have-”

A loud roar cut X off, and he dived towards the floor. Axl didn’t follow quite as fast, and was slammed in the side by a heavy solid cube. He hit the ground wheezing, and looked up to see even more solid, yellow cubes heading towards them.

“Axl, jump when I do!” X screamed, and for the first time in a very long while, Axl heard genuine terror in his friend’s voice. They leapt and dodged the brick after brick, which continued past them to the other end of the room, all forming into one large shape.

Feet formed first, massive, amorphous shapes that looked like they should barely support the round frame of the body that formed above it. Arms extended out, fingers and hands oozing out as the blocks joined together. It was a massive glob, and as an eye appeared out of the muck, peering at them coldly, it let out a mighty roar and raised its fists.

_“BUUUUMOOOOO!”_

“Fire at the eye!” X yelled, even as the giant swiped at hand down at him. He ducked and rolled out of its way, Axl choosing instead to leap out of its way and hover up towards the eye. X landed a charged shot, while Axl pumped bullets into it. They could only get off so many hits, however, before the eye disappeared and the giant broke apart, its component blocks swirling before moving across the room again.

“X! What is this thing?” Axl cried as he hovered, dashed, and jumped over all the components. They moved fast, and he knew from before that getting even clipped by one hurt, as his just-repaired back ached.

X at least had somewhat of an easier time with the pass, getting used to the pattern almost instantly. “It’s a Devil-type Mechaniloid! I had to fight one before! We’ve just got to hit and run!”

As he spoke, the giant reformed, its eye appearing. A fast moving laser fired out of it, striking X in the chest as he tried to fire another charged shot. He screamed, his shot cut off, but Axl was able to supplement that waste with even more bullets. It broke back into its component pieces.

Round and around the room they went, striking when they could, dodging when they couldn’t. The giant yellow creature was not only hard-hitting, but it could take as much as it could dish out. After about four passes, however, Axl dashed in midair, right towards its eye, and unloaded as fast as he could. Dropping down to the floor to avoid its swipe at him, Axl allowed X to unleash one final charge shot into its face, and with a mighty groan, the beast fell to its knees, almost crushing Axl, if not for X grabbing him and pulling him out of the way. Its body slowly decomposed, yellow goop secreting as it fell apart.

Shaken by it, Axl clutched X’s side as they watched it fall apart. “There’s no doubt about it then, this is a fortress with a capital F,” he commented after a bit, but even his snark was deadpan.

X nodded. “Yeah. But somehow I don’t think it’s Sigma, or anyone else you may think of.”  

“Got an idea as to who, then?” Axl replied, letting go of X as they headed towards a now-revealed door, on the opposite side of where they’d come in.

X paused for a second, looking over his shoulder as he reached the door. “I think I do. It’s improbable and impossible, but I think I do. And Axl?”

“Yeah, X?”

“We’d both better pray that I’m dead wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, Ciel's about 4-5 here.


	3. Behind The Mirror

The next room lead them into a long hall, leading further into the fortress itself. It was dotted with pits the duo could only imagine were bottomless, enemies that looked like flying shields, and more Mets. Axl shuddered, looking at the otherwise innocent robot. It being a Metall and not a Mettaur was shaking him after X’s previous statement.

One of X’s normal buster shots did nothing to the shielded enemy, but a charged shot weakened its armor to the point of breaking to a few of Axl’s rounds. They made their way forward, until they were confronted by a large chasm of spikes.

“Now what?” Axl asked, gesturing to them. “Even I can’t hover that far.”

X peered at them suspiciously. “Give it a second.” Sure enough, with a brief gust of air and an overdramatic ‘vwompf’, a cube, big enough to hold them both appeared in mid-air. A few seconds after, it disappeared, but two more appeared in other locations. X nodded. “Follow me, I’ve seen this set up before.” He leapt onto the first one.

Axl gulped, but he did as he was told and jumped with X. Towards the end, though, he hesitated a second, and had to quickly activate his hover jets. It was a harrowing moment, but they made it through to a small resting spot before another spiked chasm. “Geez, I could’ve never figured that out on my own.”

X shook his head. “Caught me by surprise the first time I ever encountered it. You would’ve caught on, though.” He raised his buster, pointing out to the next chasm, where more blocks were starting to appear, as well as groups of enemies. “Case in point, after you.”

Axl shook his head, absentmindedly taking potshots of flying enemies as he considered the blocks. “Alright, let’s go...this way,” he said, jumping forward. X kept an eye out on his own as he followed Axl, shooting drones out of the sky while his friend focused on jumping through the blocks.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they arrived at another shutter. Looking at each other, they nodded and went through. 

The second they went past the second, further shutters, they were forced to freeze by a massively armored device that floated over to them. It hesitated for a second, then hovered above X, pausing only for a second before floating to the middle of the room.

It paused. And matter emitters begin secreting a new shape that grew like a nightmare in front of Axl and X. It was blue, with a helmeted head, thick boots, and a buster on its arm. And when it raised its head, it was clear.

It was a clone of X.

“Think that since he’s your clone, he’ll be a good guy?” Axl cracked, before pointing his guns and circling the X clone carefully. It watched him, almost unmoving, apart from little, microscopic changes he could see going on in the clone as it identified him.

Then, with a savage grin that reminded Axl of Zero, it spun around and shot at Axl with a charged shot. He tried to dash out of the way, but was sent spinning when it clipped his boot.

The X clone in turn swiveled back to X, peppering him with uncharged shots. He dashed forward in turn, towards the fire rather than away from it, as he slammed a charged shot manually into the clone. The clone was sent flying, but returned fire with a semi-charged shot.

Standing up on his two feet, Axl joined the fray, rushing with X at the clone, guns blazing. It snarled at him and returned with a charged shot, but it was canceled out by one of X’s own, allowing Axl to pepper the clone even more.

The clone of X snarled, and charged at Axl, hands outstretched for some sort of grabbing attack. A semi-charged shot from X himself slammed into it, as he paid no mind, grappling and trading punches with Axl.

X aimed down his buster carefully at the two, practically wrestling on the floor. “Axl! I can’t get a clear shot!”

Axl snarled as the clone tried to grab his hair. He kneed the clone’s gut, causing it double over, then put it into a headlock. He shoved a pistol under its chin. “You don’t need to.” And with a single shot, he put a bullet through the robot’s internal operation chip and killed it.

Dropping the X clone, he shrugged and kicked it away. “Next door.”

X paused for a second. “That was dirty,” he commented.

Axl shrugged again. “Me or him? ‘Cuz preying on your fears like that is dirty tricks at their finest. As for me...let’s just say Zero told me to watch out for something he talked to you before about.”

X stopped Axl from going forward with a raised arm. “Excuse me?”

Axl realized his mistake and cursed under his breath. He looked away from X, avoiding his eyes. “Zero told me about what you said after the Fourth. About if you ever go Maverick. And after the Wars...he knew he was going. So he told me, and even if he hadn’t...well, Omega was Zero. If you had been given that same gift, and you went Maverick...well, it’d be just me.”

X dropped his arm. “Axl...I’m not the same person I was then. There’s no need to worry about me going Maverick nowadays.”

Axl kept his eyes averted. “I mean. The dictator of the entire civilized world ain’t exactly in a position to say that.”

X opened his eyes wider. Was that what Axl was worried about? He had commented in a similar vein just earlier that day… X set his hands on Axl’s shoulders, and cupped his chin, making him look at him. “Axl...I understand where you’re coming from. Believe me, I do. But at this point,” he sighed, dropping the contact. “At this point, I simply can’t go Maverick. It’d mean too much to too many people if I did. Same if I were to die. So I will continue to live and lead to the best of my abilities.”

Axl nodded, but it was clear he still had his doubts. “Let’s go on ahead.”

The next room was actually fairly short, all things considered. Just some more of those shielded drones, which provided enough energy capsules to bring them up to full Internal Operations Energy. It lead, however, to a teleporter chamber on the other end.

“We’ve seen this before,” X commented darkly. He and Axl stepped through, and entered a room of eight more chambers, scattered about. X looked over carefully, and noted that there was an LED light above all of them, and all were off. He nodded to Axl, who was leaning his head out of the teleporter chamber. The light on the chamber was on. “Alright, we can go through. Nothing’s here.”

“Yet,” Axl commented darkly. But he still joined X, as they were transported to the top of a large shaft. Spikes lined all edges, and through a dim light at the bottom he could see another metal shutter, though this one was decorated with something he couldn’t make out. A symbol or sigil, perhaps.

“One way down,” X shrugged, and jumped down. Axl followed, the two carefully contorting and twisting their bodies as the length of the shaft shifted.

“Do you see what’s on that shutter?” Axl called to just below him.

“I think I do-” X called back. “It’s-oh no. Oh god no.”

“What?” Axl said. On reflex, he activated his jets for a second, nearly sending him veering into spikes, and causing X’s answer to go unheard in between the rush of air against Axl’s ears and the opening of the first shutter. A second one opened underneath them as well, and the duo landed on their feet and knees at the bottom, flashing warnings about the stress their joints were being put up to.

Axl stood, but X remained kneeling, eyes wide in shock. Axl kneeled back down with him, and cupped his face with his hand to look at him. “X? What did you see? What is it?”

X gulped in horror, and too late, Axl noticed he was looking past Axl’s head. He followed X’s gaze, and watched as a huge, blood red, hovering machine emerged out of the darkness. It had a white skull for a cockpit, in front of a body that was like the internals of a jet engine. Multiple cannons dotted all over it, particularly a mean one just under the chin of its skull.

It settled in, and Axl could see someone inside the cockpit.

“Axl,” X said.

The man inside the cockpit grinned a slow, mad grin, one that reminded Axl of the copy robot they’d just faced as well as-

He pieced together what X was about to say the second before he said it.

“It’s Wily.”

“Hello, boys,” a loudspeaker on the machine crackled. “Welcome all...to the dying of the Light,” Isoc said.


	4. At Close Of Day

“So, you’ve figured out my little secret, X?” Isoc leered down from the cockpit of his machine. “After all these years, I suppose you had to get better than Thomas or your brother at guessing my secret identities.”

Axl glanced between the two. Even the youngest student of history would know the name of one Dr. Albert William Wily, who had faced the original Mega Man centuries ago. Sure, after the Maverick Wars and the Elf Wars, he had become little more than a footnote. But he was still a villain in all history records. Add to that the fact that Axl was one of the few privy to knowing that he was the creator of Zero, and he knew a little more than most. But the original Wily had been human. He kept his guns at the ready, regardless.

X’s gaze hardened. “Don’t you dare speak of them, you goddamned monster.”

Isoc smiled, a thick, oozing sneer, all teeth bared in a hideous grin. “Hit a nerve, did I?”

“We always figured you were gone after Gate’s revolt,” X shook his head, pointing his buster up and keeping it level, but not firing yet as he clearly analyzed for a weak point on the gigantic craft. “Your body disappeared when we went back to raze the castle. Zero was the first to figure it out. He said your body spoke to him...and when we figured out his true identity, we knew what you were trying to do back then. He felt robbed he didn’t get to kill you himself.”

Isoc snarled. “It was a ruse, another attempt to draw out the true Zero. But then again, I at least succeeded for a bit in the Elf Wars, didn’t I?” He grinned when X and Axl’s eyes widened at that. “Oh, I know something you don’t, do I? Always a lovely feeling. My nephew, give or take a couple grands, was-no, is brilliant. That’s right, you exiled him, didn’t you, X? Because you simply couldn’t bear to become a Maverick yourself.”

“Keep talking…” X muttered under his breath, buster still aimed out. Axl took notice, as well as a low hum emitting from the barrel, but Isoc didn’t.

“Where was I?” Isoc stroked his beard for a second, before grinning and pointing up. “Ah, yes! So I survived, and I trained my dear nephew Weil to bring out the true Zero. Shame that you just had to stop him. I would’ve loved to see Weil’s face when they’d conquered everything and Zero slashed him to bits.” Isoc shook his head in mock sadness. “But as effective as he was, Weil was still somewhat foolish. He annihilated the rest of the world, and he was still foolish enough to be stopped. So I was gonna set up shop in this old, unfinished fortress. Rebuild my old Time Skimmer, though it’s been hell to get all the components. Try and go back, do everything right for once. But right as I was about to finish, you and your little pal had to show up, just like Rock and his fool brother did back when I stole Gamma.” Isoc’s gaze snapped forward, his smile appearing once more. “At least I get to kill you myself. Maybe I’ll even go back in time and relive it, over and over again.”

The giant war machine rushed forward towards them in an attempt to ram them, the speakers broadcasting Isoc’s wild, evil laugh. X held his ground, firing a charged shot at the cockpit, before dashing under the machine, its engines loud over his head. Axl followed X’s lead by taking to the air, pumping bullets into the cockpit as he hovered carefully over the massive jet, raking even more fire over the top of it, though his shots just pinged off.

Isoc spun the machine around, turning on a dime. The cannons on the sides opened fire, each sending massive, spinning balls of energy at Axl and X. While Axl was able to dodge most of them, one caught X, sending him screaming.

“Gotcha!” Isoc yelled, and keyed something into his console. The massive gun under the chin of the craft glowed for a second, and Axl was only just able to tackle X out of the way, barely getting singed by a massive laser blast. He returned fire back at the cockpit, helping X back up to his feet.

Isoc fired the side cannons again, before rushing forward, cackling still. With careful dashing and weaving once more, Axl and X dodged once more. When Isoc turned again, they unloaded into his cockpit more.

“How do we kill this thing?” Axl yelled over the din of battle.

X shook his head as he readied another charged shot. “Wily’s machines always had the cockpit as weakness, but according to all history reports, Rock usually had 8 special weapons with him. We’re just gonna have to do this, buster to machine.”

“And pistol,” Axl muttered, dodging another volley of side cannon shots. The massive chin laser charged once more, and he and X dodged the massive laser. They weren’t as prepared, however, when Isoc’s machine rushed forward as they dodged, catching them both and slamming them against the far wall.

The duo screamed all but in unison as they practically bounced against the wall. They hit the ground but remained steady dashing under the machine in a desperate attempt to get back around it. On the way under, however, Axl threw an arm up, behind him, and unloaded shots into the chin cannon.

Isoc’s curse was unintelligible, but he still made it loud enough for the system’s speakers to pick up on. X glanced at Axl and nodded. “Got it.” He redirected his aim at the cannon, and fired another charged shot. It sank into the metal with a sizzling hiss, and Axl fired with him.

The cannons on the side fired, but when Isoc tried to fire the massive laser with them, it sputtered and strained and fired a beam only half the width of the earlier one, making X and Axl’s time dodging much easier. They kept up their fire on the chin cannon, and when Isoc tried to fire again, it simply shuddered and melted under the strain of its own burn.

“Bastards!” Isoc screamed at them. “I will not be defeated by a child of Light’s and some idiot he brought with him!” The machine rushed towards them once more, but as if in perfect sync, Axl grabbed X, leapt into the air, his hover system straining under the pressure of carrying two people, and threw him onto the top of the machine. X landed with a grunt, but wasted no time sinking a semi-charged shot into the top of the cockpit, followed by more uncharged shots.

Isoc snarled more insults, whipping the controls of the machine around wildly. But X hung firm, his wall grippers held tight to the machine, as Axl strafed it while hovering. They sank bullet after bullet into the cockpit, before it crumbled, a hole being burned through it that allowed X to sink a shot into the controls, one that would have hit Isoc himself had he not pulled his hands away in shock.

The controls sparked wildly, and the thrusters of the machine gave a great groan. It threw itself by its side into a wall, throwing X off and allowing him to land neatly next to Axl, weapons still at the ready. They could only bare see Isoc inside as the machine sank to the floor, scraping against the wall.

“Come out, Wily, it’s over,” X called. “We’re gonna do what should have been done centuries ago.” He checked his Internal Operations Energy. He was at a solid 50%, as he imagined Axl was too, based on the hits they’d taken. But they had no subtanks with them.

Isoc doubled over, head facing down. But rather than sob for pity like he had so many times for the original Mega Man, he made a strange keening noise. X and Axl shared another glance, but the keening noise grew into a great, unholy laugh.

“Oh, X,” Isoc screamed, head snapping up unnaturally as he leapt out of the machine. “If anyone’s going to do that, it’s me.” His weird, hairlike shell suddenly snapped open, revealing missile launchers inside. His hands went forward, palm first, and hidden plasma generators revealed themselves to be blades, looking more like spikes jutting unnaturally from his wrists than a beam saber. He grinned, his maddest grin yet. “I’m gonna finally kill a Mega Man with my bare hands, now.”

He dashed forward with unnatural speed, one handspike outstretched to stab X while the other swiped at Axl. X jumped out of the way, firing at Isoc, but Axl wasn’t quite as fast. He screamed as the blade cut deep into his arm.

Isoc kept moving, swiping wildly at X. X grunted as one near-fatal swipe cleanly carved off the cheek of his helmet, slicing deep into his actual cheek, but a charged shot shoved Isoc back into Axl’s fire. Isoc whipped his head around a full 180 degrees, looking very much possessed, and the missile racks on his helmet fired. Axl diverted his pistols to take the missiles out as they homed in on him.

This was a mistake, however. Isoc followed up by charging at Axl _backwards_ , arms swinging around. One spike caught Axl solidly in the shoulder, but the other was far worse. It went directly through his stomach, causing him to scream in sheer agony as he was rammed against the wall and lost half of what little energy he had left.

“Axl!” X screamed. He rushed forward, catching Isoc in the side of the head with a punch, one furthered by a charge shot, throwing the mad scientist off of Axl, the younger reploid dropping to the floor. When Isoc rose, the synthetic flesh covering the right half of his face was blown away, revealing the gnashing interior of his mouth, and the full beady sensor of his optic.

Isoc was reduced by this point to unintelligible screaming as X peppered his frame with uncharged buster shots. Isoc fired his missiles, but X blew them away as they exited the chamber. One escaped him, however, and caught X in his buster arm, knocking away 10% of his energy.

Axl staggered to his feet, coughing blood. He watched as Isoc and X charged at each other, barely able to raise his right pistol, his left arm unable to move. He watched as X slammed Isoc with punches and buster shots, getting scraped but not seriously harmed by the spikes, as Axl slowly aimed. He watched as Isoc screamed in rage, and readied his missiles, about to fire them at short range, Axl’s finger sliding over his pistol’s trigger three times in succession.

Axl’s shots blew Isoc off his feet, his missiles firing wildy up at the ceiling. X grunted more as one bullet blew its way through his own shoulder to hit Isoc, knocking off another 10%. But when Isoc rose, the effect was apparent.

One spike was deactivated, and the eye that had been uncovered had been blown apart, as well as his ‘hair’ on that side. Another shot had hit him square in the gut. He rose though, still alive, snarling, staggering forward.

Axl limped over to X, pistol and buster ready. “Let’s finish this,” he snarled through blood-stained lips. “Just like you and Zero did with Omega.”

X nodded. “Final Strike!” they cried in unison. They unloaded rapidly into Isoc in unison, blowing holes through his body and limbs, slamming into him hard enough to push him back against the far wall, riddled with holes. He screamed in pain as they screamed with rage, the sheer amount of plasma bullets filling the air filling it with unnatural light.

When it was over, Isoc laid limp against the wall, his body riddled with holes and limbs unable to move, contorted at odd angles. His head laid against his shoulder, but his remaining optic still glowed, signifying he was still alive.

X and Axl limped forward carefully, Axl hanging onto X. He had flashbacks of Lumine, contorted on the moon before lashing out with something horrible, and he kept one gun up, ready to strike if Isoc moved again. X had his own buster still at the ready, but then Isoc spoke, his words slurred.

“Forgive me, X-,” the mad scientist rasped. “I am human at heart,” he shuddered out. “You cannot...kill...me. Or you...will be Maverick.”

X paused, halting suddenly, taken aback. Axl paused with him. Looking over at X, Axl’s eyes widened when X’s closed. X took a deep breath and spoke in turn. And when he spoke, he did not do so with malice or hatred, but also without sorrow or regret. He simply spoke the truth.

“Dr. Albert W. Wily, also known as Isoc, you have destroyed countless lives, human, Robot Master, and Reploid, over the past 300 plus years. Your machinations and influence were ultimately the root cause of the Elf Wars, which nearly annihilated our world. You’ve been responsible for crimes from petty theft, to kidnapping, to murder, to genocide. As such, I, Mega Man X Light, leader of Neo Arcadia, the entire remaining civilized world, have simply no choice but to sentence you to death. You have forsaken any soul or spark of humanity you had left.” And his eyes snapped open, and before Axl could move, he fired.

With one single bullet, Isoc’s control chip, his brain, the entire consciousness left of both the Maverick Virus and the Nightmare Virus, as well as Dr. Wily, was burned through. He uttered a gasp, not even able to get out a scream, his eye staring at X as his body was rocked back and slumped forward.

X turned, and Axl noticed how hard his expression was. “You killed him,” was all the younger reploid could say.

X nodded. “Yes, I did.” He made no move to clutch Axl, to stop him from acting in any way, just watched him carefully.

Axl closed his eyes, just as X had done before. He thought of the first time they’d met, when X had been driven to such direct pacifism that he’d forsaken even fighting a major Maverick attack, and had tried dissauge Axl and Zero from doing the same. He thought of the years after, of X and Zero taking care of Axl, training him to become just a fine warrior as them.

Axl thought of the end of the Maverick Wars, when Zero had left them, resolved to delete the Virus once and for all. He thought of the beginning of the Elf Wars, the deaths of Signas and everyone they held so close, and how X was driven first into becoming leader of the Maverick Hunters, then the leader of what little world they had left. He thought of Zero’s brief return, and X’s joy to have his friend at his side again, only to lose him once more when he returned to his secret resting place.

Axl thought of X, building his children, and asking Axl, by now a seasoned warrior, to train them in combat. He thought of X, finding a young human girl in a destroyed building, only survivor of a hideous battle, and taking her into his family, giving her the name Light. He thought of X, trying to do the best for Neo Arcadia, even as bureaucracy and pressure and the Dark Elf they still had to find a way to permanently seal and heal weighed upon him. He thought of X, coming to him that morning, offering to work together again, unknowing of what horrors they would encounter.

When Axl opened his eyes, he let his pistols drop, and his reply was simple. One word, in a quiet, accepting tone of voice.

“Okay.”

And the two limped off, past the wreckage of the last Wilymachine, past Isoc’s limp body, in search of repairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I want to address why X does what he does in this chapter, because I believe it may be a major point of contention.
> 
> X in the X series is already so extremely tired of fighting that in X7, he swears it off entirely, to the point that he won't even stop an obvious Sigma plan for quite some time. He's lost people like Cain, he's been betrayed by people like Sigma and Double, he's watched the world itself stand at the brink of the apocalypse. He knows the entire time that the Maverick Hunters are fighting symptoms, not a cause.
> 
> But then the Elf Wars come. He loses everyone but Axl, and Wily very nearly kills Axl here. And X is given free reign over the entire world. He lets Weil go free (though I do believe that Weil was released without those arms you see him have, and he managed to find someone out in the wasteland to make them for him) because for as awful as Weil was, to kill him would still be Maverick activity, and at this point X believes he can stop Weil if he ever comes back, because he has the ability to rally his people, he has Axl with him, and he's built the Guardians and had them trained to be as strong as someone capable of stopping a Maverick War.
> 
> But to meet Wily, and have Wily admit he caused EVERYTHING, including the Elf Wars? Well, X has found the cause he wanted to stop so long ago. He's found the man who's taken everything from him. He has Axl there, and he knows that Axl is fully willing to decide to kill him after he kills Wily (he would not have stopped Axl if instead of saying "Okay", the latter shot him instead). 
> 
> X is not just thinking for himself anymore, he's thinking of a whole populace. And he knows that unlike Weil, he can't just release a limbless Isoc/Wily into the wasteland. Because Wily has backup schemes on top of backup schemes, and is far more personally powerful than Weil. And while he doesn't know for sure, there's also the fact that Isoc's body is likely saturated with the last traces of the Maverick Virus, among others. So to let him go free would likely result in another Sigma, the return of Weil, and another Wily war all at once. 
> 
> X could very easily cite the Zeroth Law, that a robot may harm humans to protect other humans. But he wouldn't. He'd accept full responsibility for his crime, because he knows that if he rationalized it, the people he now leads would protest his death. But if he accepted responsibility, said what he did was wrong, and let Axl or the Guardians kill him? There'd be no mistake, he would be a Maverick by his own definition.
> 
> Ultimately, and this is minor spoilers for next chapter, X decides to do it, but with Axl's acceptance of it, he does not come out with the truth of it. Because for all the other thoughts above, X knows that no matter what he does, he'll still cause an upset in what little society they had left. So he holds on to it, because this is the cold world they live in now.
> 
> Also note that I updated the number of chapters, as I decided to save the epilogue for its own chapter.


	5. Another Time And Place

The duo’s staggered steps lead them through the hangar where the Wilymachine had been held, and into a small laboratory that was clearly where Isoc had worked. It was an unassuming affair, no different from any machine shop. A small workbench, with tools hanging above it on a rack, a stool, shelves full of parts, a few cans labeled with a large ‘E’, and a small computer. The only real anomaly was a large, two-seater, raft-like machine, though it had no apparent weaponry on it, nor was it active.

Axl sat on the stool, his breathing shallow as X collected tool and parts off the racks and shelves. “You can fix me?” he asked.

X nodded. “Back when I was first created, I helped make the first Reploids. I was, well, basically a lab assistant. But I know what I’m doing.” He grabbed one of the cans, popping its lid, and shoved it into Axl’s good hand. “Drink this, now.”

Axl eyed it with suspicion. “How do you know it’s not like, poison or something?”

X chuckled, but it held no actual humor. “It’s an E-Tank, an ancient version of Sub-Tanks. Only good for one use, though. Drink it.” As if to prove his point, he grabbed one, and drank it down.

Axl shrugged and gulped it. It tasted sickly sweet, like soda, and his throat burned in pain as he forced it down. As he did, however, he felt his energy systems recharge, the energy going directly into his bloodstream, rather than to his damaged stomach. He wouldn’t die of running out, at least. He shuddered as he finished it.

X grabbed a welding torch and positioned himself behind Axl to work on his damaged stomach. No more words were exchanged as X worked, focused on fixing his friend first. Axl’s gaze wandered around the room, eventually focused on the raft-like machine.

Isoc had mentioned some sort of time machine, he realized, though he made no physical reaction to it. He tried to draw his eyes away from it, but he kept looking back. And it hit him.

X had killed a human. The Guardians were warriors of their own right. Zero was gone. The Maverick Hunters were dead. Red Alert was dead. The world was wrecked, even worse than when Axl had first been woken up.

This world had changed massively.

X drew back, and Axl realized an hour and a half had passed, and he didn’t even notice X had repaired his shoulder, the gouge on his arm, and his singed boots. The spare metal components reacted well with Axl’s own mutable systems, reshaping them to meld with his body, causing him to look the same as, well, ever.

X took his helmet off to repair it. “What will you say, when we go back?” he asked, focused on his own work, not noticing Axl’s eyes, drawn to the Time Skimmer.

Axl felt a lump in his throat, hard and hot and heavy. He realized the sheer enormity of the moment, and when he spoke, it was quiet and decisive.

“I don’t think I’m going back with you.”

X’s head whipped around, taking note of where Axl was looking. He looked up in surprise. “You can’t possibly be thinking-”

Axl cut him off, raising a hand. “The world’s changed, X. And only partially for the better. I told you earlier I was feeling my age. But I think I’ve got an idea for what to do with the rest of my life.”

X shook his head. “It’s insane, Axl.”

“Once, I would’ve thought a mad human from the 21st century coming back, and then you killing him would’ve been insane,” Axl shot back. “I’ll give you a little to think about it,” he said as he stood, flexing his newly repaired joints. “I’m going to go grab my pistols.”

X busied himself with work, rather than focus on what he’d done and what Axl was thinking about doing. Unlike with Axl’s body, his own wasn’t as mutable, so the patch job on his helmet and cheek were far more apparent. Wires and metal were soldered together slowly, X careful not to burn his hands. 

Axl strode back into the room, pistols on his hips, having clearly taken his time to come back. “Well?” he asked.

X shrugged, resigned. “You know how many others I’ve lost, Axl. You know what you’re doing by leaving.”

Axl shook his head. “What you did today, X...you proved you’ve got the strength to take it. Zero will be be back, eventually. You’ve got your kids. I’m an old warhorse, X. At least you’ve got other talents.” He looked down at the Time Skimmer, and took a deep breath. “And one of those talents is influence. With my abilities...I can go back and do the same thing for others. You and Zero and the other Hunters practically raised me, made sure I don’t turn out like Red. Me and you have done our best for the Guardians, and now I want to do the same thing for the whole world. But with the way things are now, I can’t.”

X eyed Axl carefully, betraying no emotion. “Change everything for the better, huh? On a person to person basis?”

Axl shrugged. “Isoc-Wily, whatever, had the same sort of idea with Weil, for the worse. I know my limits. I can’t exactly change Wily or Sigma or anything. But say, I give someone like Spider a piece of advice. I make sure the Hunters from the First are wary of Sigma. I can at the very least even the odds. Might take a few jumps, but who knows.”

X sighed. “I suppose I can’t stop you.”

Axl laughed, full of genuine humor. “Buddy, you most certainly can. You just don’t want to.”

X smiled sadly. “I know. I’ll help you figure out how to operate it.” He stood and pulled on his helmet, feeling its systems reintegrate with his own. 

Over the next hour they reviewed its systems, checking Wily’s computer for instructions. Axl familiarized himself with the controls as X made sure the thing actually worked, the latter also taking a second to deactivate the castle’s remaining defenses and provide himself a way out. When they were done, they stood up from their work and hauled the thing out to the hangar, ready for travel.

Looking over it, X asked, “You’re sure about this?”

Axl nodded. “Yeah, I am.” He suddenly pulled X into a hug. “But don’t think I won’t miss you. Thanks for being my best friend, X.”

X embraced him warmly, knowing this was the last hug he’d get from Axl. From anyone of an era he’d founded. The Elf Wars had been a capstone to the Maverick Wars, and from these past few years to what was ahead, something entirely new was coming.

Axl pulled back. “Anyone you want to go back for? Signas, Alia maybe? I know what I said, but even Zero? Hell, even your family?”

X shook his head sadly. “No. I’m content with what I have now. And you, Axl, and the Hunters, and the Guardians, and Ciel, are my family.”

Axl smiled at this, before rapping his knuckles against his head. “Oh! I almost forgot.” He held his hand out, and a small chip clicked out of his wrist onto his palm. “While I was collecting my pistols I recorded a message. Figured I wouldn’t wanna leave everyone else without a last goodbye.” 

X took it and examined it, before he slipped it into a compartment in his chest armor. “I’ll tell them you went on a mission of your own, then.”

“Yeah, that’s actually basically what I say in the message,” Axl shrugged. He smiled sadly but proudly. “I’ll probably see you, X,” he said, musing more to himself than to his partner. “You may not know it, but I’ll probably see you.”

X patted him on the back one last time. “See you, Axl.”

And the younger reploid stepped into the raft. A large bubble dome slid over the cockpit, concealing Axl from view. With a loud hum, it rose from the ground, and a swirling green portal generated before it. The Time Skimmer lurched forward, and just as soon as it escaped from sight, the portal closed again.

X watched Axl fly out, and then started his way out of the castle. Alone, like he had been many years before, escaping Sigma’s first fortress, all but a young man compared to now.


	6. For Everlasting Peace

When X arrived back in the Trans Server room, he was immediately rushed by a young ball of pink, topped with flowing golden hair. He laughed as Ciel tackled him, scooping her in his arms and holding her tight, noticing she was in her pajamas.

“You were gone for so long!” she cried at him, and he looked out the window. They’d left in the morning, and now it was nearly midnight. He’d normally chastise Ciel for being up so late, but he figured he’d let it slide this time.

He looked around the room, and took note of the Guardians, standing together, visibly mildly tense. Harpuia stepped forward as X noticed them. “We were worried,” he explained. “They lost contact with you as soon as you went underground. So we gathered in case of a state of emergency.”

“State of emergency?” X asked, still holding gently onto Ciel. He cocked an eyebrow. “I-well, my successor would be apparent, according to my will.”

“Not just that,” Fefnir chimed in, stepping forward as well. “The citizens were all riled up. X disappears for more than half a day, and panic breaks out.”

X shook his head at that. “Sometimes I worry my presence has formed into a cult of personality.” 

Before that line of thought could continue, it was derailed completely by Phantom asking one simple question.

“Sir, where’s Axl?”

X closed his eyes and stepped forward, letting Ciel down gently, though she still clung to his hand. He took a breath. “Axl had more to investigate, after we were done. What we found out there...well, I needed someone in the field looking out, and he was the best choice. He won’t be back for a long time. But he did leave a message.”

The Guardians nodded, looking somber. Ciel, however, gasped as she grasped what he meant. Still holding his adopted daughter’s hand, he retrieved the chip Axl had given him, and plugged into a nearby free monitor.

Axl’s face flickered onto a holodisplay, and even though little more than an hour had passed since X had last seen him, the leader of Neo Arcadia still felt a pang of pain and longing, like Axl had been gone for as long as Dr. Cain. He had his signature grin, no damage evident thanks to X’s repairs, but his eyes betrayed his own sadness. He kept his hands on his hips as he spoke.

“Hey guys,” he began, and already he could feel Ciel pressing her face against his leg to suppress tears. “I’m gonna be gone for a long while, and if all works well, you won’t know why. But it’s an important job, trust me.” He rubbed one palm against the back of his head. “Look, I’m sorry I can’t say goodbye. But as I told you guys earlier, you’re all ready for anything. But the main job, the one you should focus on is to make sure you’re there for each other. Make sure you do what’s right no matter what. Be kind to others, and make sure others are kind in turn, I guess. I’m sorry I don’t have more to say. But I love you guys. And take care of X. Axl out.”

The message blinked off. Ciel was actively crying against X’s leg, and he kept an arm close against her. Fefnir looked angry. Harpuia looked lost. Leviathan was biting back tears of her own. Phantom gave an understanding nod.

X wiped a tear from his own eye, the first tear he’d allowed since the Elf Wars ended.  He scooped up Ciel, and handed her to Phantom, laying a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Please, make sure she sleeps now,” he said quietly to his son. He nodded and took her, as X strode out of the room.

X walked through the tower of Neo Arcadia’s Citadel, past countless steps and defenses, to the one place where he could be free of any eyes, be free to think. A place where he was only allowed to go.

He strode past a few guards who nodded at him, and into the chamber of the Dark Elf. He gazed up at her, deep in a slumber as her body pulsed with purple aura. She was sealed behind multiple layers of reinforced glass, with countless weapons hidden inside the base of her chamber. But the sheer danger she represented, as well as a simple inability to destroy her, meant she needed to be contained and potentially even healed, rather than anything else.

X stared at her hard, thinking of Isoc. He’d been Wily, and energies he’d either used or created had been the genesis of the Dark Elf. Perhaps it was his destiny, as the last son of Dr. Light, to cure her as well.

But for now, all he could do is look and think of the future.

* * *

 

Thomas Light clutched his textbooks tightly, rubbing his chin as he waited patiently in the office. Already working on a doctorate program at 18, he was waiting for his first meeting with his advisor for that year.

The office door opened, and a man stepped out. Much to Thomas’ surprise, he looked only slightly older than himself, with a thick brown ponytail topping his lean frame. One conspicuous part stuck out, however. A large X-shaped scar crossing over his nose, between his eyes. The man offered Light his hand. “Dr. Light, I presume?”

Thomas stood, shaking the offered hand, laughing gently. “Not quite yet, I’m afraid,” he said, following the man into his office. ”But I’m working on it.”

The other man laughed as well, sitting down at the chair behind his desk. “Hey, you’ve got a long future ahead of you.” He gestured for Thomas to sit down. “What’d you want to see me about?”

Thomas set his books down as he sat, gesturing to them. The other man could see they were a programming book, a book on robotics, and a book on language study. “As you probably already know, I got my Bachelors in Communications, and my Masters in Programming. But I’m a little more undecided on my Doctorate.”

“Yes,” the other man agreed. “You’re our only Doctorate student listed as ‘undecided’. Why is that?”

“Well, when I first went into college, I dreamed of using our new internet systems to connect the world,” Thomas replied eagerly. “Create a way for everyone to contact everyone else.”

“What made you change your mind?”

Thomas paused for a second, a flicker of doubt passing over his face. “Well...my friend, Albert. He’s been with me since my senior year of high school, and he’s as much of an advanced student as I am. He’s working on machine systems, and he thinks he has a brilliant idea to advance robotics. I’ve helped him before with projects, and he wants me to follow him into getting a doctorate in that instead.”

“I see,” the other man nodded. He paused himself, clearly collecting his thoughts. “Well...Thomas, I think that you should follow your dreams. The future is built on them, after all. And allowing people to talk to each other may be more important than even you think.” He nodded. “I think you should focus on your programming idea, get your doctorate in that.”

“I see,” Thomas Light nodded in turn. He wasn’t sold yet, maybe he’d talk to Albert more on this, but he was glad for the input. “Thank you.”

“Anything else?”

“No thank you,” Thomas stood, grabbing his books. On his way out, however, he paused and looked over his shoulder. “Oh, wait, I’m sorry, I just realized I never got your name.”

The man flushed with embarrassment. “Oh, yes, my name.” He hesitated for a sec. “It’s Mr. Red.” 

Thomas was puzzled by his hesitation, but saw no reason to continue. “Thank you, sir.” He continued out of the door, and it clicked close.

Axl smiled to himself as Thomas left. Being a reploid, and such an advanced one at that, this long ago era meant he would never have been recognized as non-human. He’d made multiple jumps over what amounted to a year in his time, and as he went back, he discovered the history of reploids and Robot Masters, and how it all led back to a simple decision. Tracking Thomas Light, kidnapping and replacing his advisor, all of that had been no simple feat, but he’d pulled it off with precision. Using Red’s name was a little awkward, but it sounded more natural than his own.

After all, it would lead to a much brighter tomorrow.


End file.
